Nigeria confirms first fatality from coronavirus

Nigeria confirmed its first fatality from coronavirus, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said in a tweet on Monday.

The patient a 67-year-old man recently returned following a medical procedure in the United Kingdom with underlying medical conditions including multiple myeloma and diabetes and was undergoing chemotherapy, the NCDC said.

African’s most populous country will close its two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja from Monday night, its civil aviation regulator said on Saturday, as the number of coronavirus cases in the country almost doubled.

The airports, which join three others around the country, will be shuttered for one month, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.

The closure comes as Nigeria’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases stood at 36 on Monday.

Sadly, Nigeria records its first #COVID19 death in Nigeria . The case was a 67 year old male who returned home following medical treatment in UK
He had underlying medical conditions- multiple #myeloma & diabetes & was undergoing chemotherapy

Our sincere condolences to the family pic.twitter.com/RKQx79eBCV

— WHO Nigeria (@WHONigeria) March 23, 2020

The West African nation last week issued a travel ban on citizens from 13 countries worst-hit by the coronavirus.